Pressing machine



T. G. JASPER PRESSING MACHINE June 5, 1934.

Filed Nov. 19, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR A TTORNEY T. G. JASPERPRESSING MACHINE June 5, 1934.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19, 1951 INVENTOR A T ORNEY Patented June 5,1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to garment pressing machines and moreparticularly to pressing machines provided with swingingly mounted steamheads adapted to be brought in and out of contact with a pressing buck.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a machine of thischaracter with means for releasing steam from the said head by pressureupon a foot lever while the said head is in any desired position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible connectionbetween the said steam head and foot lever to release steam from thesaid head so as to permit the free use or" both hands of the operatorwhile steaming a garment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of this classprovided with both foot and hand operated steam releasing means.

Another objectis to produce a device of the 20 character described inwhich the maximum simpllcity of construction and operation is secured.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of theimprovements is better understood, the invention consistingsubstantially in the novel arrangement and co-relation of parts hereinfully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinsimilar reference characters are used to describe corresponding partsthroughout the several views, and then finally pointed out andspecifically defined and indicated in the appended claims.

The disclosure, made the basis of exemplifying the present inventiveconcept suggests a practical embodiment thereof, but the invention isnot to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure, and thelatter, therefore, is to be un derstood from an illustrative, ratherthan a restrictive standpoint.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety ofmechanical expressions, one of which, for the purpose of illustration,is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of the pressing machine showing my invention as appliedthereto.

Figure 2 is afragmental perspective view of the pressing machine withthe steam head in raised position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the steam head and control valvetaken on line 3-3 Figure 1.

Figure 4 is atop plan view partly in section showing the arrangement ofthe control valve levers and Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line5-5 Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail indicates a frame, supporting asteam table or buck 11. A shaft 12 is suitably supported in bearings 18and 14 forming a part of the said frame 10. A frame or bracket 15 havingbearing arms 16 and 17 is swingingly supported on the shaft 12 and issecured at its front end 18 to a steam head 20. Steam is admitted intothe steam head from a suitable source through a pipe line 21. A pipeline 22 forms a return for the steam.

The steam head is provided with an upper chamber 24 and a lower chamber25 divided by a wall 26, the chamber 24 being in direct communicationwith the steam inlet and outlet pipes 21 and 22. A valve 27 having astem 28 is screw threadedly secured in a boss 29 projecting upwardlyfrom the wall 26. The said valve stem is provided with a steam passage30 in communication with the chamber 24 by means of an opening 31 in thestem 28. The steam passage 30 leads into a valve chamber 32 housing aspring pressed valve disc 33 provided with a hexagonal stem or extension34 passing through a circular opening 35 in an inner valve stem wall 36which separates the steam inlet or passageway 30 from a secondpassageway 37 leading downwardly from a valve chamber 38 into the lowersteam head compartment 25.

The steam head 20 is swung downwardly against the tension of a pair ofsprings 39 by means of a series of levers 40 connected thereto and to atreadle 41 pivoted at the rear of the machine, and may be released by afoot lever 42, a portion 43 of which underlies the foot lever or treadle41, the springs 39 exerting a pull on the head bracket 15 to swing sameabout the shaft 12 and raise the head 20.

It is often desirable to take wrinkles out of the shoulder portion of agarment. Normally in the present day pressing machines this isaccomplished by holding the garment against the perforated plate 52 atthe bottom of the steam head and pulling down a hand lever 45 pivotallymounted at 46 of the valve casing, when the steam head is in the Figure2 position. The pulling down of the handle rocks a bifurcated lever 47with which it is in engagement, and whic is pivotally mounted on a pin48 passing through the valve casing. The lever 47 has an upstandingportion 49 which bears against a slidingly mounted pin 50 in engagementwith the hexagonal projection 34 and pushes the valv disc from its seatand permits the steam to enter the chamber 38 through the opening 35 andthence through the passageway 37 into the lower steam head chamber 25and then outwardly through the perforated plate 52 against the garment.A plate 53 secured to the wall 26 and spaced a slight distance therefromspreads the steam in all directions in the chamber 25.

By employing this method the operator holds the garment in one hand andoperates the valve with the other, very often scalding the said otherhand by the escaping steam.

To obviate this undesirable feature I have perfected my invention, whichcomprises a foot lever 55 pivotally mounted at 56 and having anupstanding arm 5'7 in which is secured a wire 58 of a flexibleconnection 59, the outer casing 60 of which is suitably held or securedat its lower end against the frame 10 by means of a sheath 61 and heldin place at its upper end against the swinging frame 15 by means of anut 6;. Tee upper end of the wire 58 is suitably secured to an arm 65 ofa lever 65 pivotally mounted on the pin 48 and provided with anupstanding portion 67 adjacent the upstanding arm 49 of the lever 47,with which it forms a one way connection. That is, the depression of thefoot lever 55 will actuate the lever 57 and flexible connection 59 andcause the upper portion 6'7 of the lever 65 to rock the lever 49 andoperate the valve, but the depression of the handle 45 will not disturbthe foot lever and its connections.

To remove shoulder seam creases from a garment with my improved machine,the operator steps on the foot lever 55, thus rocking the lever 57 inthe direction of the arrow 67a (Figure 1) and pulls the arm 65 in thedirection of the arrow 68 (Figures 1 and 3) against the tension of acoiled spring 69 and actuates the arm 49 to move in the direction of thearrow 70 (Figure 3) to move the pin 50 inwardly against the hexagonalvalve stem 34 to move the disc 33 from its seat and permit steam toenter the lower steam head compartment 25 through the steam passage 3'7.The operator thus having both hands free to hold the garment against theperforated plate 52 and for any other purpose that may be necessary.

It will be understood that the steam head 20 may be brought down to anydesired height above the pressing buck 11 with one foot and steam forcedthrough the perforated plate 52 with the other foot, thus giving theoperator free use of both hands to perform any desired function.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a pressingmachine having a swingable steam head provided with a valve adapted tobe operated by foot to cause steam to escape through the said head whenthe said head is in any position relative to the pressing buck.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a pressing machine adapted to steam and press various parts ofgarments and having a swingably mounted steam head, a normally closedvalve on the steam head, a hand operated swingably mounted lever inoperative engagement with the valve to open same, a second swingablymounted lever in engagement with the first lever, a pivotally mountedfoot lever, a fiexible connection connected to the second mentionedlever and foot lever, and a spring on the said flexible connection inoperative engagement with the second mentioned lever, for the purposespecified.

2. In a garment pressing machine, a frame, a buck mounted on the frame,a head movable toward and from the buck, a carrier for the head movablymounted in the frame, a normally closed valve on the steam head, a handoperated lever in operative engagement with the valve to open same, asecond lever having a one way operative connection with the firstmentioned lever to permit the said hand lever to be operatedindependently of. the said second mentioned lever, a pivotally mountedpedal on the frame, a flexible connection passing through the carrierand connected to the second mentioned lever and pedal, and a spring onthe said flexible connection in operative engagement with the secondmentioned lever, for the purpose specified.

TOBIAS G. JASPER.

